Ties that bind
by Orison
Summary: When something threatens to destroy both a personal and a professional relationship, it takes everything you can to make things right. *Bosco/Faith/Mikey story*
1. Default Chapter

**Ties that bind **

** *** **

Author: Orison

Disclaimer: The characters of course aren't mine, and no copyright infringements are intended, but I'd love to spend some time with Jason Wiles! ;)

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: General knowledge of the series up through season four.

Summary: When something threatens to destroy both a personal and a professional relationship, it takes everything you can to make things right.

Author's note: Okay, here we go, this is my first solo attempt at writing a fic. HUGE thanks to my fellow author twjunkie for helping me realize I could actually write something in english, for correcting my mistakes and encouraging me to keep going. I owe you! :)

Author's note II: I'm aware there's a couple of similar stories around right now (and I thought my idea was new! :) ), but I hope you're going to read it anyway... Pleeeeeease! Oh, and in my happy little world, Sergeant Cruz is nowhere in sight... Enjoy!

Feedback: Please, I need to know if this is worth all my time! *lol* Constructive criticism also appreciated.

***

"Dammit!" Bosco groaned as the phone woke him up. He glanced at his alarm clock. 11:21am. He rubbed his eyes and reached for it, searching his mind for some appointment he might have missed, but he found none.

"Must be Faith," he reasoned aloud. "Maybe she wants me to... wait, I'm already supposed to pick her up before the shift." He was glad she'd actually asked him that, it showed she still cared about him, even after all the things she'd said at the hospital when Fred had his heart attack. 

He pressed the receiver to his ear, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah." his sleepy voice answered. 

"Mo?" 

"Mikey?" he asked, surprise in his voice. His younger brother rarely called him at home. _Maybe I did forget something important, he thought to himself. _

"You awake?" 

"I am now. Something wrong?" He heard him clear his throat on the other end of the phone, but no words came out. "Mikey? What's wrong?" 

"I... I think I'm in trouble, man." 

_Here it goes again, Bosco sighed in frustration. "What is it? Boss fire you already?" _

"No, it's not that, still working as a night guy." 

"Then what?" he asked again. "Are you going to tell me? 'Cause, you know, I could use some extra sleep, I was at the House until 3:00am last night!" He was willing himself not to lose his patience, but it was a tough battle. 

"I... I need money. I don't know who else to ask." 

"Money?" Bosco repeated. _I can't believe he has the gall to ask me that! "You're kidding, right? What, you think I'm some kind of damned rich guy you can turn to whenever you need to buy drugs? I'm a police officer, for God's sake!" he angrily spat. _

"No, you don't understand, I... listen to me..." his brother pleaded. 

"I'm not gonna help you screw up your life, Michael, cut yourself a break!" 

"No, that's not... I don't want to buy any drugs, man. I'm clean now. Been clean for almost two weeks, you've got to believe me!" 

"Why should I, huh?" Bosco asked, rising his voice. "Last time I met you, you were running dope in my precinct, Mikey. How do I know you're not lying to me?" 

"Because I'm your brother, man, and I need help! Listen, there's this guy, I... I owe him money, and he won't let me walk away with it. I think he's coming after me." 

Bosco could now sense fear in his brother's voice. 

"I want to stay clean, man, I really do." Michael continued. "You were right. I need to put my life back together, but he won't let me until I give him what he wants!" 

"And what is it that he wants? How much you owe him?" Bosco asked as he closed his eyes, waiting for the answer. 

"A thousand bucks." he finally admitted. 

_God, Bosco sighed. "What is wrong with you, man? I barely have $40 in my wallet, how am I supposed to find all that money?" _

"I'll pay you back, Mo. I'll pay you every cent! But you've got to help me now..." 

Bosco didn't know what to do. Michael did sound scared, and he really wanted to believe that he'd been clean for two weeks. _Maybe me arresting him wasn't that bad after all. Helped him realize he could do something good with his life. What if I turn him down and something happens to him? How could I live with that? _

"Alright, what if we set him up? I mean, I could arrest him or something..." he said, trying to come up with a plan that didn't involve losing his money to a drug dealer. 

"I don't think that's a good idea, bro." Mikey quickly dismissed the thought. "I don't want to piss the guy off. I give him what he wants, he gets out of my way." 

"Mikey, I swear, if you're trying to jerk me around I'm going to kick your sorry ass, you hear me?" Bosco added. 

"I'm not, man, I swear! I'm serious..." 

"Okay. I don't know why, but I believe you." _Hope I'm not going to regret this later, he added to himself. "How soon do you need that money?" _

"Now." 

"Great." he muttered. "Listen to me, I'm going to dress, get that cash, and then I'll meet you up before work. That okay?" 

"Good. That's good. Thanks, man. Meet me at the corner of 58th and 11th." 

"Nice place." Bosco sarcastically said as he pictured the block where they usually busted drug dealers. 

"Oh, come on, I don't want any trouble, that's a quiet place." his brother replied. 

"Yeah, not to mention safe." He made a mental note to bring his off-duty gun along before speaking again. "How does 1:30 sound?" 

"Sounds good. I owe you, bro." 

"Yeah. You keep that in mind." 

Bosco hung up the phone and stared at it for a few minutes. _I hope you told me the truth, Mikey. _

He took a quick shower and got dressed, then grabbed his jacket and headed to the door. He made a few steps, then turned around. He looked at his car keys and shook his head. _There's no way I'm driving my girl to that place, he sighed. __I'll take the subway. _

*** 

Two and a half hours later, after a few cups of coffee, a long line at the bank to get his cash and a nightmarish ride on the subway, Bosco was ready to kick some ass. 

_Man, I can't believe Faith rides this thing everyday!_ he complained as he exited the station. _It's hot, crowded and always late!_ He looked at his watch. _Damn, I'm going to be late for work!_

He quickened his pace and rounded the corner as his hand immediately went up to his waistband where he kept his gun, and hoped his brother was already there. 

The alley was quiet, no sign of junkies around. Bosco carefully moved forward, a feeling of nervousness settling itself in the pit of his stomach. _Come on, Mikey__, s__how up, man. Let's get this over with. _

He was halfway through the alley when he heard a noise coming from behind. "Mikey?" he called, turning around. 

"Yeah. Over here." the voice answered back. 

Bosco walked back and entered a narrow street, finding himself face to face with his brother. 

"Anybody follow you?" Mikey said, nervously looking around. 

"Nice to see you too, brother." he snorted. 

"I'm sorry, man, but I need to be careful." 

"Yeah, whatever. You sure you don't want me to arrest the son of a bitch?" 

"No, just... just let it go. I can handle it. Thanks, though." 

Bosco reached for his inner pocket and took out a small envelope. _This is against my every belief, his mind screamed as he handed it to his brother. __But I have to do it. "Be careful, Mikey." he added. "This can be dangerous." _

"I know, man. I will." he answered as he shifted uncomfortably to his feet. 

_God, Bosco thought, __I'm standing here talking to my brother, yet it looks like I'm talking to a complete stranger! How __did __ we grow so far apart ? Why did I push him out of my life? "You... you wanna go grab a cup of coffee?" he offered. "I still have some time before going to work." _

"Uh... no. I'd better go now. There's something I need to take care of. You know, the sooner the better..." he smiled faintly. 

" 'kay. But keep me posted, alright? And don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." 

Bosco wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but found himself unable to say the words. He wanted to do something more. The idea of his kid brother having anything to do with a bunch of drug dealers scared him, but he figured admitting that he needed help already was a big step for Michael, so this was probably the only way to show him that he cared. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cellphone ringing. 

The two brothers jumped, startled by the noise, and looked at each other. 

"Sorry, man, this place gives me the creeps. We'd better head out of here." Bosco said as he pressed the "talk" button. "Yeah." 

"Boz, it's me." Faith's voice answered back. 

"Hey, Faith, what's up?" he said, glancing at his brother who stood nervously in front of him, still looking around as he was expecting someone to show up at any minute. 

"I… uh, I'm sorry, I know you're probably already driving up to my place, but Fred's taken a half day off so he's going to drive me to the House. We've been running errands all morning, and my cellphone's dead so I couldn't call you sooner." 

"Well, actually I'm still working on something myself, and I'm probably going to be late again, so that's okay. Gotta take the damned subway, I guess you're safer in your truck anyway." he smiled. 

"You're riding the subway?" she laughed. "What happened, Boz? Your favorite girl decided to ditch you this morning?" 

"That's not funny, Faith." he chuckled. "You know I hate that thing. Don't know how you manage to… hey, wait!" 

"Excuse me?" she asked, confused. 

"No, it's not… I'm not talking to you." he said as he watched his brother wave his hand at him and quickly walk out of the alley. "Michael, wait!" he yelled in frustration. 

"Bosco, what's going on?" Faith's concerned voice asked again. 

"Nothing. Just Mikey pissing me off as usual." he told her, leaning on the nearby wall. "So, did you get that book for Charlie?" 

"Yeah." she sighed. "It took me two hours and almost 30 bucks. Can you imagine!" 

"Aw, sorry, Faith. I guess I'm buying lunch AND dinner today!" he joked.

*** 

Michael had almost reached the end of the alley when a black car approached him. He quickened his pace trying to get to the nearest intersection and hopefully to some crowded place, but the car just drove past him and stopped a few feet from him, blocking his path. 

_Great, the young man muttered under his breath. _

He stopped walking as two guys got out of the car and motioned for him to get closer. He could tell that nothing good was coming out of this. "Hey, man." he said, offering his hand and trying not to show his fear. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"How are you doing, Michael?" one of them said. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with this place anymore." 

"Yeah, I…" 

"Care to join us for a ride?" 

"Sorry, I gotta go to work…" he tentatively said. 

"You know you're not supposed to go to work for six hours, Michael. What, you afraid?" 

"Me? No, man, I… okay." he nodded as they let him into the car. 

He thought about his brother who was still behind, and prayed he wouldn't be the one to find his dead body a few hours later. 

TBC...


	2. Chapter two

**Chapter two**

Author's note: Hey guys, thanks for the great reviews, I still can't believe I'm writing in english! ;) Here's chapter two, enjoy!

***

Bosco ended his conversation after telling Faith that he was going to meet her up at the House in a little while, and put the cellphone back into his pocket. Talking to her, he'd momentarily forgotten about the dingy alley he was in, but a quick look around made him realize it was time to leave the place. And leave it fast. 

"You going somewhere, buddy?" A voice came out of nowhere, startling him as a shiver ran through his spine. He turned around to see two guys standing there, a menacing look on their faces. 

"Yeah, actually I was. So get out of my way." he said, immediately switching to "cop" mode. 

"Not so fast, man." the other guy said as he came closer. 

_Damn you, Mikey, he cursed to himself. __Why couldn't we meet in a bar, or someplace else? __Why did I even listen to you in the first place? "Who the hell are you anyway?" _

"My my, you shouldn't talk to him like that." the bigger of the two guys said, stepping forward. "You know, you piss him off, you're a dead man." 

Bosco's mind was still trying to figure out who these two assholes were, and how he could pull himself out of the mess. "What do you want?" he asked, putting both hands on his hips so that he could reach for the gun if things got out of hand. Which he figured it probably would. 

"You're quite a loud-mouth, you know that?" 

"Yeah. I've been called worse." Bosco retorted. 

"You know, that attitude could get you in trouble someday." the man Bosco figured was higher in rank told him. 

"And you know what? I'm sick of this crap! You wanna tell me what the hell this is about before I walk out of here?" He was getting angrier and more nervous by the minute. _Wonder where Michael is, he thought to himself. __Hope he's safe somewhere. _

"Why are you so angry at me?" the man glared at him, an evil smile on his lips. "I just thought I should introduce myself. You know, you're new, someone should warn you about how things go around here. About... people you should respect." 

"What are you talking about?" Bosco asked in disbelief. _Man, this is getting worse. _"Look, I really have to go now..." he said, trying to push his way through them. 

"Hold on, buddy. I'm not finished yet." the man said as he reached for the right side of his coat and revealed a gun. 

*** 

The black car stopped a few blocks later. _This is it_, Mikey thought to himself. _This is where it ends. _"Where are we?" he asked, a hint of fear in his voice. 

"Oh, the place doesn't matter." one of the guys said as he opened the door. "We just want to talk to you for a while." 

_Yeah, talk. How am I supposed to talk with a bullet in my head? _He shook his head and got out of the car. He could hear seagulls in the distance. _We must still be close to the river_, he reasoned. "What's wrong, Barry?" 

"You, man. You made a big mistake." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"You know, it wasn't very nice of you to lie to us, Michael." 

"Lie? I never lied to you!" he immediately replied, rising up his hands in defense. 

"You did, and you're doing it again!" Barry angrily said, moving dangerously close to him. "You're supposed to show us some respect, you son of a bitch!" he hissed. "Now, as I said, you made a mistake, and you're going to pay for it." 

"I swear, man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Mikey pleaded. 

"You told us you didn't need our help anymore, and then you got yourself a new boy. Now, that wasn't very nice, was it?" 

"A new what?" 

"Don't play fool with me, Michael, I know you're smarter than that!" Barry said, rising his voice. "We've been following you. You know, to make sure you were telling the truth. And today we saw you and your friend down at the pier. That was nice." he laughed. "Too bad he won't be around to deal drugs anymore." 

"Friend? No, that wasn't... That was my brother,man!" 

"Stop lying, Mikey, it's not going to do you any good!" the other man yelled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pushing him against the wall. 

"I'm not lying, I wouldn't lie to you, man. That was my brother!" Mikey pleaded again, gasping for breath. _God, please leave Maurice out of this_, he prayed. _My life's already a mess, I couldn't deal with him getting hurt because of me. _

"Your brother, huh? And what exactly were you doing with your *****brother***** in that alley?" Barry taunted. 

"I... we were just..." 

"You know, now that I come to think about it, Michael, you still owe me some money. What? You thought I would forget? Thought you could just walk around and find someone else? Answer me!" he said as he punched him in the stomach. 

"No!" he screamedas he doubled forward in pain. "I... I didn't forget about the money! I was just..." 

"You were just what? I saw what happened! The guy gave you something! Now are you going to tell me the truth or should Johnny here remind you what happens to people who screw up?" 

Mikey's eyes widened in fear. _I was indeed being followed_, he realized. _They were watching me. _"Please, I told you." he tried to speak again. "That was my brother. He's not a drug dealer. I just asked him for some money so I could give it to you! ... Here," he pointed to his jeans pocket. "Let me..." 

Barry immediately reached for it and found the small envelope. 

"See? Told you I wasn't lying!" he smiled nervously. "There's a thousand bucks in there, man. You can take it. I was going to give it to you anyway. You've got to believe me!" 

The two guys stared at each other for a few seconds. 

"You'll leave my brother alone now, right?" Mikey asked. _Hope you never find out he's a cop._

"I can't promise you that, buddy." Barry replied. "I'm afraid the problem's already been fixed. Someone's taking care of him as we speak." 

***

Bosco looked down at the gun and wondered if his brother had anything to do with that. "I think there's been some mistake here." he said.

"You're right." the older of the two guys answered back. "Your mistake." He took a few steps forward, as Bosco stood his ground, his eyes focused on him. "You either have to be extremely smart, or completely stupid to deal drugs in my territory." he harshly whispered. 

"What?" Bosco asked in shock. "You're lost here, man! I'm not a drug dealer!" _And as soon as I'm out of here I'm going to lock you up, you son of a bitch! _

"And you expect me to believe you?" 

"Yeah, I do, 'cause it's the damned truth, and the only one you're going to hear from me!" 

"Hey! I told you not to talk to Mr. De Marco like that!" the big guy said as he back-handed him on the mouth. Bosco immediately tasted blood on his split lip, but his gaze never left the man. 

"It's okay, Frankie. My young friend here just needs some good advice." 

"Yeah, Frankie, do as your boss says and leave me the hell alone!" Bosco said, shoving him away. "Look, Mr. De Marco, I don't know what this is about, but you got the wrong man. I sure as hell ain't a drug dealer, and if you let me go now I'm going to forget about this little incident." 

The man smiled, an amused expression on his face. "You know, I really need a guy like you for my business." 

"And I need a vacation. Life's not fair, man."

Frankie immediately rached for his gun and pointed it straight at him. 

Bosco paused, then went on. "Listen to me, I'm not stepping on your territory here, and you know why? 'Cause I ain't a drug dealer! You can check me out but you're not going to find anything." _Except my gun, maybe. _

"Yeah, but only because you just gave it to that little bastard! I bet he said he's going to pay you next time." he smiled. "He always does that." 

_God, Michael. What have you gotten yourself into?_ Bosco thought to himself. _Is that why you were so worried about anybody following me? _He stuffed one hand in his jacket pocket and tightened the grip on the gun on his belt with the other. _That's why they think I'm a drug dealer. Man, could this day possibly get any worse? _

He knew how these people worked, knew they were never going to believe him. _I have to do something_, he reasoned. _Hopefully Mr.Boss here is not armed, so if I can take Frankie's gun there's a good chance I can end this without getting myself killed. _

"What, you got nothing to say now?" Frankie said in mock annoyance, punching him again.

Bosco took the blow and glared at him, but he didn't move. _If I tell them that was my brother they'll go after him. I can't let them. Better slow things down and hope it's not going to hurt too much. _

"You know, you're right." De Marco spoke again. "I could forget about this... forgive you maybe, pretend you didn't know... But I won't." He pulled out a gun from his coat pocket, and before Bosco had a chance to react, a shot was fired.

TBC...


	3. Chapter three

**Chapter three**

Author's note: Thanks for the great reviews guys, that really means a lot to me. Keep 'em coming! :) Here's chapter three, hope you enjoy!

***

Faith was walking into the locker room when she suddenly felt her chest go tight. She reached out her hand and leaned on the wall, trying to catch her breath. 

"Faith, you okay?" came Sully's alarmed voice. 

"Yeah... I'm fine." she said, waving off her friend's concern. "I don't know... I guess I'm just tired, I've been running all morning." Truth was, she couldn't explain that. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. Soon the pain was replaced by an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she quickly dismissed it as being over-reactive. 

She walked to her locker and started to change out of her civvies. A few minutes later, they were all sitting in the roll call room, listening to Sergeant Christopher's voice as he rambled on about a suspect they were supposed to catch. 

Faith lifted her head from the picture she'd been absently staring at and looked around. No sign of her partner yet. He'd told her he was probably going to be late, so she didn't give that a second thought. She just hoped that Christopher wouldn't come down too hard on him. 

"Yokas, you heard from your partner yet?" Lieutenant Swersky's voice brought her back to reality. 

She turned to look at him and realized she was the only one still sitting in the briefing room. "Uhm... no, sir. I spoke to him about half an hour ago, but he just said he was working on something and was going to meet me here in a while. He... he said something about his car not working, and that he was going to take the subway." 

"Okay. You'll pair up with Gusler. I'll have the desk Sergeant give you a call when he shows up." 

"Thanks, sir." she said as she got up from her chair and went looking for the young officer. 

*** 

Bosco saw the glint of metal in the dim light of the alley as the man removed a gun from his pocket and aimed it at him, watching everything as if in slow motion. He opened his mouth to say something, but his words got trapped in a whisper as he realized the weapon was about to go off. 

He tried to reach for his gun in a frail attempt to stop that from happening, but it was already too late, and he felt the bullet as it hit him in the abdomen, the echo of the shot vibrating in his ear. His body was thrown backward until he slumped to the cold ground. 

He forced himself to open his eyes, and met De Marco's cold glare. "They say a gunshot wound to the stomach provides the most painful death..." he whispered as he knelt down beside him. "You should live long enough to realize what a stupid mistake you've made." A twisted smile crept up on his face as he shot one last glance at the wounded man. "Pleasure doing busines with you." he laughed, and then walked away. 

Bosco closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. He willed himself not to move until he was sure they were both gone. Then he brought his hand up to his chest and touched the fabric of his shirt, which was already soaked with blood. "Have to... get out... of here." he whispered as he tried to sit up. 

Pain ripped through his body, but he knew if he wanted to live he had to move. So he tried again, his hand still clutched on the wound to keep some pressure. 

He finally rose to his feet and managed to take a few steps forward. The pain was more intense with every step he took, and his vision started to blur. It was hard to breathe, but he refused to let it go and reached the end of the alley. He tried to look around, but his eyes wouldn't focus. 

His hand reached for something to hold on to, but he found nothing. The pain was unbearable, and he stumbled and fell to the ground again. He thought about his brother, and all the things he hadn't been able to tell him. About his mother, and how this was going to affect her. About Faith... He'd promised he would always be there for her. "Can't... give up..." 

He could barely feel his legs, and his breath was ragged and shallow, but he got up, and gathering whatever strenght he had left he started to walk. He wasn't sure where he was going, but kept moving until the pain was too much to handle and his body begged him to stop. "I'm sorry, Faith." he whispered as his world grew dark. 

*** 

Mikey stared at Barry in shock, his words still playing in his mind. 'I'm afraid the problem's already been fixed. Someone's taking care of him as we speak.' _God, please forgive me. What have I done? _

"What... what do you mean?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Sorry, man, but you know how this works. A new guy stepping on our territory better watch his back." he smiled.

"No need to worry, man." the other guy echoed. "You give us what we want, we go back to business again."

"No, please, it's not what you think! I swear, that was my brother. He's got nothing to do with this!" He fell down on his knees and closed his eyes, running both hands through his hair. "Please, I wouldn't lie to you about this... just leave him alone... I'm the one who screwed up."

Barry turned to his comrade, a puzzled look on his face. He then looked at the young man in front of him, but felt no remorse.

"Alright, Michael, maybe you're telling the truth, so you know what? I'm going to take this money and tell Mr. De Marco that you're sorry for pissing him off." He took a step backward, as the other guy started to walk back to the car. "I'm sorry about your brother, man, but you can take that as a warning and be more responsible in the future. No one messes up with us, you tell your loser friends."

Mikey didn't move from his spot. Eyes still closed, he could hear Barry's footsteps as he approached the car, the engine starting off as they both climbed in, the screech of tires as they drove away.

He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly got up, but a wave of nausea suddenly washed over him, and his hand grasped a light pole for support. _I have to find him_, he told himself. _I have to find him before it's too late. _He started to walk, then took off running towards the place where he'd last seen his brother, praying to whoever God was in charge of up there that he was already at work, cleaning up the streets of people like himself.

TBC...


	4. Chapter four

**Chapter four**

***

"Hey, Sul, you wanna come over for my mother's birthday tomorrow?" Ty Davis asked his partner as they walked to their RMP, each holding a cup of coffee in his hand. 

"I don't know, Davis." Sully replied, climbing in the driver's seat and putting the car into gear. "I'm not sure she wants to see me. She hasn't talked to me since you got shot." 

"Oh, come on, man, you know her!" he laughed. 

"Yeah. That's why I stay clear of the hurricane. Maybe I could... Hey, what the hell?" Sully yelled as his foot slammed on the brakes and he stopped the RMP just before it hit a young man who was crossing the street and was apparently unaware of their presence. "Stupid ass!" he muttered. 

The guy fell to the ground, momentarily disappearing from their sight, then put his hands on the hood of the car and got up. He stared at them for a few seconds, a flicker of recognition on his face, and took off running again. 

"What's this guy doing?" the older officer asked. 

"Sully, isn't that Boscorelli's brother?" 

"What?" 

"Yeah, remember him, a few months ago? Bosco locked him up for drug possession." 

"Seriously?" 

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. It looks like he's afraid of something." 

"Man, this isn't good." Sully whispered as he started off the engine. 

Mikey couldn't stop running. His heart was beating furiously in his chest, sweat was rolling down on his face and neck, and his mind kept taunting him with images of his brother lying in a pool of blood somewhere. 

He'd considered talking to the two cops, asking for some kind of help, but decided against it. _Hold on, Maurice. I'm coming. _

Sully spotted him a few minutes later. He wanted to find out what was going on, but decided not to scare him so he didn't turn the siren on. 

"Sul, do you think he's in trouble?" his partner asked him. 

"I don't know, Davis. But it certainly doesn't look good." He rolled down the window and hit the horn. "Hey! Boscorelli, stop!" he called out. 

Mikey didn't expect the cops to know his name, so he was taken aback and finally stopped running. He turned around to look at them and stared at the younger officer. _I've seen this guy before_, he thought to himself, and wondered if they knew his brother. 

"It's okay, man. We just want to talk to you." Davis said as he got out of the RMP and approached him. "Are you okay?" 

"I can't remember... Maurice, he... I can't remember the street..." Mikey said, gasping for breath. 

"Maurice? What, you mean... Bosco? Has something happened to Bosco?" 

"They said he's ... I have to find him!" 

"What's going on here?" Sully asked as he came closer. 

"I don't know. He said something about Bosco..." 

Mikey looked at the officers. "I gotta go." 

Davis grabbed his arm. "No, wait. Is Bosco in danger?" 

"He may be! They... they said they were going to kill him!" 

Sully and Davis stared at him in shock. 

"Who said that?" 

"You don't understand, there's no time!" Mikey cried as he tried to get free of Davis' grasp. 

"Alright, alright. Get in the car." Sully urged him. "We're going to find him. Now you tell us exactly what happened so we can start looking for him." 

Mikey didn't reply, but silently followed them to the RMP and they all climbed in. 

"I really don't like this." Sully muttered as he switched on the siren. "55-Charlie to Central." he called over the radio. 

"Go ahead, Charlie." 

"Central, I need to speak to 55-David." 

"Hold on, Charlie." 

"55-David," came Faith's voice a moment later. 

"Faith, is Bosco with you?" 

"Sully, is that you? No, he's not... why, what happened?" she asked, her voice faltering slightly. 

Sully looked at his partner and then at Michael through the rear-view mirror. 

_Oh my God_, Mikey sighed, his head resting in his hands. _He's dead. Please don't let him be dead. __Maurice, I'm sorry..._

"Sully, what's going on?" Faith asked again. 

"Hold on, Faith." he replied as he pulled the RMP over to a side street and turned to look at Mikey. "Where is he?" 

"I don't... I'm not sure..." 

"Where the hell is he?" he yelled, rage flashing in his eyes. 

"I... I left him near the corner of 58th and 11th." 

"Sully, is Bosco alright?" 

The older officer listened to his friend's frantic voice but found himself unable to answer her question. "I don't know." he finally whispered. 

They were only a few blocks away from the place where Mikey had last seen Bosco, but the ride was long and unnerving. Mikey told them about the meeting with his brother, although he didn't give them all the details. His mind was still racing a mile a minute, and he was having a hard time concentrating on their questions. 

*** 

Faith sat in the driver's seat of her RMP, nervously tapping her hands on the steering wheel as she waited for the red light to turn green. Her mind too was racing, trying to recall her last conversation with Bosco. She'd been waiting for the desk Sergeant to call and tell her to come and get her partner, but no one had called, and then it came Sully's concerned voice over the radio. 

Something was definitely wrong. That same uneasy feeling she'd experienced since she'd walked in the locker room was still settled in her stomach, but she chose not to ignore it this time. 

She remembered him mentioning his brother's name. _Could Michael be involved in this? _

"Ma'am, you can go now." Gusler's voice suddenly reminded her it was time to go. 

Her foot stepped on the accelerator and she headed towards the intersection where 55-Charlie was already waiting.

TBC... 


	5. Chapter five

**Chapter five**

Author's note: For anybody who's wondering where Bosco is and who's going to find him, here's part five. Hope you guys like it and yes, I NEED to read what you think about it so feel free to review! :)

***

Mikey got out of the squad before it even stopped and started to run, his eyes scanning the streets nearby, looking for any sign of his brother. He reached the alley where he'd met him about half an hour before, Sully and Davis trailing along behind him. 

"He's not here." he stated. _And I screwed up. Big time. _

"Aww, this place smells awful!" Sully exclaimed. "What the hell was he doing in here?" 

"He was just trying to help." Mikey sadly replied, looking down at his feet. 

"You sure this is the place?" Davis asked him. 

"Yeah. Pretty much." 

"Pretty much?" Sully angrily repeated. "What's that supposed to mean? What is this, some kind of sick joke?" 

"I'm sorry, man. I told you I..." 

"Cut the crap, Michael, you're pissing me off!" he yelled. "Now you're going to tell us exactly where you left him before I lose my patience with you!" 

"I'm sure, man, I am. This is the right place." Mikey finally admitted. "Maybe he..." 

"Hey, Sul, look at this!" 

They both turned around to look at Davis, who'd walked back towards the entrance of the alley and was now standing a few feet behind, his gaze fixed on something on the ground. 

"What is it?" Sully asked as he caught up with him. He followed his partner's gaze and spotted a few bloodstains. 

"Should I call for backup?" 

"Not yet. Faith's gonna be here any minute, and it looks like whoever was here is already in the wind." 

"Is that blood?" Mikey asked, his eyes wide with fear. No one answered. "Oh my God..." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Come on, do something! We've got to find him!" he screamed. 

"Calm down, man. We don't know anything for sure. This could be someone else's blood, alright?" Davis reasoned. _Yeah, and hell has just frozen over. _

"No, I... I have to find him!" he shouted again. "Maybe he's just hiding somewhere, or... maybe he called for help..." _Or he's dead somewhere and can't ask for help anymore._ "... Maybe he's still around here." he suddenly realized. 

He glanced at the two cops that were still talking a couple of feet away and ran out of the alley, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched every spot, every dumpster, every place. 

"Hey!" Davis called out. 

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" Sully echoed. 

"Come on, Sully, let's go." the younger officer said as he ran after him. 

"Great." he muttered. "This just keeps getting better and better." 

They rounded the corner and looked around, but there was no sign of Michael. They stood there for a few seconds, wondering about what to do, when they heard a voice not too far from their location. 

They couldn't make out the words, but decided to follow it, drawing their weapons from its holster. With each step, it became closer, louder, so clear that each of them realized their worst fear had become true. That's when they saw him. 

Mikey was bent over a still form laying on the ground, urging him to wake up. They moved closer and saw Bosco, eyes closed, head bent to his right side, a puddle of blood growing around him. 

Davis put a hand over his mouth and stared at his colleague in shock, while Sully immediately reached for his radio. "Central, this is 55-Charlie requesting a bus forthwith at the corner of 58th and 11th, we have an officer down! I repeat, we need a bus on a rush, officer down!" 

***

Faith heard Sully's voice over the radio and her heart skipped a beat. She blinked back a few tears as she stepped on the gas pedal and prayed that her partner was okay.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Gusler's faint voice asked from the passenger's seat. 

"No." she whispered. _Hold on, Boz. I'm coming. _

She spotted 55-Charlie a few minutes later, and screeched her RMP to a halt, running out of the vehicle. She didn't even think about Gusler as she frantically looked around, her concern for Bosco getting stronger and stronger. 

When she finally found her colleagues, she stopped in her tracks and stared at the scene in front of her. 

Ty Davis was crouched next to someone on the ground, with another man she couldn't recognize because his back was to her, while Sully was yelling over the radio, partially blocking her view. "Central, do you have an ETA for that bus?" 

She could hear the panic in his voice, and was afraid to move closer and look at what was causing it. To see it would be to admit its truth. 

"Faith, over here! I need your help!" The voice came from down low, down on the ground, next to the very thing that she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge. 

She still couldn't move. She knew she was going to see blood, probably a lot of it, and hoped that it would be his leg or shoulder instead of his chest or head. 

She finally forced herself to take a few steps forward and looked down at her worst fear. Blood was everywhere, spattered across his face, his hair, the ground around him, covering the hands of his friends attending to him. _Oh my God_, she gasped. _There's too much blood.._. 

"Mo? ... Maurice, wake up, man!" 

She knelt down and suddenly became aware of the person right next to her. A voice she knew all too well. "Mikey?" 

Her mind tried to come up with a good explanation for his presence on the scene, but she couldn't find one. She wanted to ask him a million questions, to learn what had happened, who had hurt her best friend, but she wasn't sure she could deal with the answers. 

"Faith, please, you've got to help him!" he cried, grabbing her arm. 

His words were like a jolt of electricity through her body. After taking in the sight of her partner's still form, she blinked a couple of times and snapped back to reality. 

"Bosco? ... Bosco, can you hear me?" she asked, taking his hand in hers. His eyes remained closed, and a lonely tear slid down her cheek. 

She quickly assessed his condition, running her hand through his injured abdomen and looking at his wound while she kept calling his name. "Bosco? ... Bosco, can you open your eyes? ... Please, open your eyes for me..." she cried, a hand firmly pressed on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. 

"How long has he been down?" she asked. 

"I don't know." Sully replied. "We just found him, but from the amount of blood I'd say..." 

Faith didn't hear the end of that sentence. She just stared at the blood around him. She knew a gunshot wound to the stomach wasn't good, but she was determined not to let him go. "I'm going to fight, Boz." she whispered to his ear. "And you'd better fight too, you hear me? You've got to fight! ... Please, wake up..." 

Bosco stirred and tried to move, but his whole body ached and he moaned in pain. He could hear Faith's voice, and thought he should let her know he was awake, but his eyelids were too heavy and he couldn't open his eyes. 

He willed himself to do something, and managed to squeeze her hand. 

"Bosco?" Faith called as soon as she heard the pressure on her hand. "Bosco, it's okay. Help is on the way. You just hang on, alright?" 

She caressed his cheek and wiped away some of the blood on his face. He coughed a few times as pain ripped through his body and he tightened the grip on her hand. 

"I'm right here, Boz. Please hold on..." she reassured him. Tears were now flowing freely down her face. "... Please, open your eyes, I need you to stay awake... please..." 

"Maurice, I'm sorry, man... It's all my fault..." Mikey's voice sounded desperate. _I'm watching my brother die right in front of me_, he thought to himself. _Is that my punishment? Am I going to relieve this nightmare for the rest of my life? _

"Davis, get him out of here!" Sully ordered, pointing to Mikey who was making frantic attempts to get to his brother. 

"What? No, please, I need to stay!" 

"Just back off, man, give her some room." the officer replied. "Come on, why don't you sit down over there." Davis said, pointing to some steps nearby. He grabbed him by the shoulders and led him away from his brother as Sully walked back towards the RMP to wait for the bus. 

"I'm sorry, man... I'm sorry..." he repeated over and over, staring at his bloody hands. 

Faith watched the scene and realized there was a lot more to the story that she'd ever know. She would ask him about that later. For now, her main concern was to keep Bosco alive until the paramedics showed up. 

She turned to look back at him and was surprised to meet his blue eyes. "Bosco? Hey partner..." she said, lacing her fingers through his. "Hold on, okay?" 

His vision was still blurry and he couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling. He loved to see her smile. "I just... wanted to help him, Faith..." he whispered, immediately closing his eyes as a new wave of pain washed over him. "Prove my ma... you... that I'm not... useless." 

_Oh God_, Faith gasped as she realized how much she'd hurt him with her words a few months before. "Bosco, listen to me. I'm sorry about that... I'm sorry I called you useless, I didn't mean it, okay? I... I was upset, and scared... you have to believe me." she pleaded, her voice wavering with emotion. 

"I... deserved it..." he said again, gasping for breath. 

She swallowed hard. "No! No, you didn't deserve any of it! ... Boz? Bosco, stay with me!" she cried as he closed his eyes and rolled his head to his side. "Come on, open your eyes for me!" 

She looked down at the wound. Fresh blood was still seeping through the shirt she'd used to try and stop it. _He's so cold_. _He's bleeding to death_, she realized, immediately reaching for her jacket and covering him with it. 

She could hear the siren getting closer, and the bus finally pulled over. 

"See? Help is here." she said, still holding his hand. "Now we're gonna get you out of here and over to Mercy. You just hang on, okay? ...Stay with me, Boz..." she urged him. 

He opened his eyes and licked his lips. 

"Sshhh, don't try to talk." she told him, gently putting a finger over his lips. 

Bosco felt himself drifting back to unconsciousness. "Tell Mikey... I don't blame him... for this." 

"You'll tell him that yourself, you hear me?" Faith promised as she heard footsteps approaching and moved to her left to give the paramedics some room to work. 

"Don't go..." 

"No, Boz, I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere." she replied, looking over at Doc and Kim and motioning for them to hurry up. 

He started coughing again, blood coming out of his mouth. "I'm... sorry I... let you down, Faith." were his last words before his eyes drifted shut and everything went dark. 

"Bosco? Bosco, talk to me!" she cried. 

"Faith? Come on, step back, we need some space here." Doc's voice told her. "Come on, we need to stop the bleeding." he said, handing Kim an IV. 

"Help him... please." 

"We're going to do everything we can." Kim assured her. 

Sully put a hand on her shoulder and helped her get back to her feet. She covered her mouth with her hand, but couldn't help more tears from falling. "Oh God, Sully, he's lost too much blood..." 

The older man gave her shoulder a light squeeze and pulled her closer. "I know." he whispered. "But I also know he's a fighter. Everything's gonna be okay." 

TBC...


	6. Chapter six

Chapter six  
  
Author's note: Wow, thanks for your wonderful reviews guys, I can't believe you all like this story so much... :) Here's another one for you! 

  
***  
  
Doc and Kim feverishly worked on Bosco for a few minutes before loading him onto the bus and speeding towards Mercy hospital. Faith was allowed to sit in the back right next to him, but couldn't recall much of the ride beside the fact that she couldn't bring herself to leave her partner's hand unheld.   
  
A small crowd of doctors and nurses were waiting for him at the hospital. They rushed him to the ER as soon as the bus stopped, the attending doctor immediately shouting orders to his staff. "Where to?" he asked.   
  
"Trauma three." one of the nurses replied.   
  
Doc gripped Faith's shoulder and gently guided her out of the room as they moved him from the gurney to the table. "Bosco, I'll be right outside." she whispered as she let go of his hand. "Hang on."   
  
The sliding doors closed behind her, but her gaze remained on her partner, and she prayed with all her strenght that he would get through this.   
  
Inside the trauma room, the doctor shot a worried look at the still body on his emergency table. His hands, already soaked with blood, began chest compressions as he cursed under his breath. "There's too much damage.."   
  
The nurse at the monitor shook her head. "No pulse, BP's dropping." she reported. I don't know, Doc..."   
  
"Not on my shift..." he whispered. "Not on my shift. How long has he been down?" he asked, his eyes glancing at the wall clock above him.   
  
"Five minutes."   
  
"Get the paddles and charge them to 200!"   
  
"Ready."   
  
"Clear!" he yelled, placing the paddles on Bosco's chest. His body arched.   
  
"Nothing."   
  
"Dammit!" the doctor whispered. "Come on, officer, stay with us... stay with us! ... Charge to 300!"   
  
"Charged."   
  
"Clear!"   
  
Faith winced every time the burst of electricity shook her partner's body. She closed her eyes and shared his pain. _Come on, Bosco, fight. I know you can do that. Fight to live._   
  
"We've got a pulse!" one of the nurses announced.   
  
"Good." the doctor smiled. "Hang in there, buddy." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Let's get him up to the OR!"   
  
Faith opened her eyes at the sound of the doors slide open, and saw Dr. Thomas and a couple of nurses wheeling Bosco towards the elevator. "How is he?" she heard herself ask as she followed them.   
  
"We have him stabilized right now, but it's too soon to tell." the doctor said. "He's going up to surgery. There's a waiting room if you want to come."   
  
"Sure. I'll be up in a minute."   
  
She walked back to the nurse's desk and broke the news to her fellow officers and her paramedic friends.   
  
"Come on, Faith." Kim's voice emerged from the group. "Let's get you cleaned up." she said, pointing to her bloody hands.   
  
She silently followed her to the restroom and then up to the waiting area next to the operating rooms. She chose a corner chair and sit staring at the wall in front of her. A picture of red flowers stared back at her, and she wondered who designed those rooms, or decided what kind of pictures and chairs to place where people spent endless hours waiting for news on their loved ones.   
  
She couldn't help picturing Bosco lying on the operating table as the doctors tried to save his life. _Fight Bosco,_ she prayed. I_ need you. I couldn't live knowing that you died believing those words, believing that you're not a worthwhile person. You're not useless, Bosco... please come back to me._  
  
She leaned forward. With her arms resting on her knees, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts take over. The reality of the situation finally sunk in, and she began to cry.   
  
When she lifted her head a while later, she realized that a few people, friends mostly, were now crowding the room. She got up and approached one of them.   
  
"Is any of this your fault?" she asked a guilt-stricken Michael. "Answer me!"   
  
He looked back at her but couldn't find any words.   
  
"I'm sorry." he finally managed to say.   
  
"You're sorry." she repeated in disbelief. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"   
  
"I just asked him for help..." he whispered, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't know I was being followed. You've got to believe me!"   
  
"You know what he asked me, just before he stopped breathing in that alley? He wanted me to tell you that he doesn't blame you for what happened! Well, let me tell you something, Mikey. If he dies on that table, *I* am going to blame you, you hear me? I don't care if you weren't there when it happened, you'll be as guilty as those men who pulled the damned trigger!" she yelled, tears flooding her eyes, before walking away and disappearing down the hallway.   
  
"Should I follow her?" Kim asked, looking at Sully.   
  
"No." he sighed. "I think she needs to be alone right now."   
  
***   
  
When she came back about an hour later, the same people were still sitting in the waiting room. Kim got up and walked to her. Fear immediately stopped Faith in her tracks. "He's dead." she whispered.  
  
"No, no, he's not!" Kim tried to reassure her.   
  
_That should make me feel better,_ she thought to herself. _But I still feel nothing but guilt. As if all that's left is an empty body that moves, speaks and walks but feels nothing. A bleeding chest, matching my partner's one on the operating table._  
  
"He's still in the OR." Kim continued. "He's not great, but he's holding his own."  
  
"I... I need to sit down." she muttered, reaching for the chairs. "You should call your mother." she absently told Mikey as she passed him.   
  
  
Five hours of unnerving wait later, the doctor finally appeared to tell them that Bosco had survived the surgery, although of course the next couple of days would be touch-and-go.   
  
Faith felt drained. She tried to smile when Kim hugged her and told her that was good news, tried to be strong when Bosco's mother finally arrived and greeted her with a heartbreaking look and a consoling squeeze of the hand.   
  
Getting too emotionally attached to your partner can be dangerous for your efficiency as a police officer. Despite her feelings for Bosco, in eight years of partnership through the worst possible scenarios, it had never been a problem. Until she'd said those words.   
  
***   
  
"Officer Yokas, you can see him now if you want. But only for a couple of minutes."  
  
She immediately tensed at the doctor's words. _I can't face him. I'm not ready._ "Thanks, but... you should let his mother in to see him first."   
  
"Of course. This way, ma'am." he said, motioning for Rose to follow him.   
  
"What should we do with the kid?" Sully asked her after Bosco's mother left the room.   
  
"I don't care." she coldly replied. "I need to call Fred."   
  
  
  
Fifteen minutes later, she was allowed to see Bosco. The room was dark and silent, except for the beeping sound of the heart monitor. Despite the ventilator and a gash on his forehead, his face looked peaceful. You could barely tell he was fighting for his life.   
  
Faith came closer and stood next to his bed. "Don't you dare die on me, Bosco." she whispered.   
  
She took his hand and placed it over her heart so he could feel it beating. Feel it and maybe understand what he needed to do. "You keep fighting, you hear me? You've got to hold on... you have to fight like hell to stay with us." she urged him as her mind flashed back to another hospital room, where she saw herself repeating those very words to her husband a few months before.   
  
"Please wake up and curse at me... I'd rather live without you than with the knowledge that one single moment of fear and confusion has cost me my best friend."   
  
She gave his hand one last squeeze and left the room. Then without even realizing it, she found herself on the roof of the hospital, shivering in the cold winter breeze.  
  
TBC...  



	7. Chapter seven

**Chapter seven**

Author's note: Here's another one, you ready? ;) Enjoy, and please tell me what you think, I need to know you're still with me...

***

Faith spent a lot of time on that roof in the following days. Whenever it was too hard to face her friend's concerned faces, or guilt threatened to overcome her, she would go up there and just sit, looking at the sky above her. 

Fred had given her his Bible, told her she would find some peace in it. Peace for her soul. She'd tried to read a few pages, but those words hadn't helped her at all. The only thing she needed to hear was her partner's voice. His reassuring words, telling her that it was okay, that he'd forgiven her for that moment of weakness. But he was still fighting for his life in the ICU room a few stories below. 

***

Bosco had slipped into a coma right after he'd been transferred from the operating room. The doctors were positive that he would eventually wake up, said he just needed to gather his strength. But three days sound like an eternity when all you have left is time, and a guilty conscience to appease.

"Officer Yokas?" a voice suddenly came from behind.

"Mary?" Faith asked, a mixture of expectation and fear in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

"He's waking up." the nurse smiled.

***

When she arrived in the ICU, Faith was shocked by how pale Bosco still looked. He was off the ventilator and appeared to be sleeping, yet the sight of him lying so helpless in that big hospital bed broke her heart.

"Talk to him." Proctor urged her before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. "It'll help him find his way."

Faith took his hand, a simple gesture she'd become accustomed to since he'd been admitted to the hospital, and started to whisper soothing words.

His sleep was not peaceful. It looked like he was having some kind of flashback of the day he was shot. 

"Bosco, it's me. You're at the hospital, and you're going to be okay."

She reached out and gently stroked his forehead, but Bosco suddenly bolted upright in bed. Faith looked at him in shock, startled by his unexpected move, and quickly grabbed him and tried her best to help him lie down before he tore all his sutures. "Boz, it's okay, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you. It's okay." she reassured him.

Bosco desperately tried to figure out where he was, who was in the room with him and what she was saying. But her words didn't make any sense and his eyes wouldn't focus, even though the woman's voice sounded vaguely familiar.

He tried in vain to get his bearings, but an intense pain in his abdomen was making it difficult, a pain that had started when he sat up after that woman touched his face. He couldn't remember what had happened to him, why he felt so weak or it was so hard to breathe.

He could feel a tearing and burning inside his chest and tasted blood in his mouth, but he wasn't going to let this person know he was hurt. He didn't know who she was, or if he could trust her.

"Bosco, please listen to me..." Faith continued, speaking in a soothing voice. "It's Faith. You have to lie still. Everything's gonna be okay." _You're scaring the hell out of me_, she silently added. "Please calm down..." She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and tried to comfort him.

Bosco's mind was still taunting him with images of the shooting. He could see himself in that alley as the man aimed the gun at him and fired. He remembered trying to reach for his own weapon, the pain in his abdomen, De Marco's threatening words.

He'd been shot. That explained why it hurt so much. He also realized something must have happened when he'd tried to move a few minutes before. Had he torn his sutures trying to sit up? The voice was still talking to him, but he was getting weaker and the taste of blood in his mouth was stronger. Something was definitely wrong.

He moved his hand until he found another one and grasped it tightly, and as he opened his eyes, he finally recognized his partner's face. "Glad... you're... here." he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"That's where I belong, Boz. Right beside you." Faith smiled, sitting down on the chair next to his bed.

"I'm... sorry I let you... down." he spoke again. "You... deserve a real... partner, not a... useless...cop."

"No, please don't say that!" she immediately replied, standing up and leaning on the bed so she could look him straight in the eyes. "Look, I know I hurt you. And believe me I'd do anything to change that. But I don't regret being your partner. Ever. You hear me? I wouldn't change a single moment! Please, you've got to believe me..."

Bosco felt very weak. The tearing and burning in his abdomen probably meant he was bleeding internally. The pain was making it hard to think, let alone talk. So he squeezed Faith's hand with all the strength he had left, hoping the gesture would somehow make up for the lack of words.

Suddenly, his body tensed and he closed his eyes, gasping for breath. He could feel the blood rising in his throat and was losing the fight to stay awake. Then unable to control it any longer, he coughed violently. As the grip on her hand loosened, Faith watched in horror as blood poured from his mouth.

"Bosco? Oh my God!" she panicked. "I need some help in here!"

His heart monitor began to beep faster as an alarm went off and Mary Proctor rushed into the room. "Mary, please, hurry up!" Faith pleaded.

"What happened?" the nurse asked.

"I don't know, he... he was confused and... tried to get up, and then suddenly he started coughing and there was blood all over him..."

Soon Dr. Thomas and another nurse followed into the room. "He must've torn his sutures." Proctor informed him.

"Dammit!" he cursed. "Let's get him back to the OR. Now!" he yelled as they set him up and headed towards the elevator.

Faith found herself alone in the room, the rush of activity of the previous moments replaced by an eerie silence.

"Where is he?" a voice jolted her back to consciousness. She turned around and saw Bosco's brother walk through the door, a worried expression on his face.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was too scared and stunned herself to reply. 

"Faith?"

"He... they took him up to surgery. He had some internal bleeding that needed to be repaired."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Mikey." she sighed. "I really don't know."

She looked at him and saw the fear in the young man's eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you the other day. I was upset and I couldn't think straight." _And I was actually talking to myself, blaming myself for hurting him as much as the guy who shot him. _

"It's okay. You were right, this isall my fault. I... I thought I could handle this on my own... you know, do something good for once? But I screwed up and brought him down with me." Mikey said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

"He was great to me when we were kids, you know?" he smiled. "He would protect me, or... or cover for me. He even took some beatings for me a couple of times when dad was drunk or upset. He was the man of the family. The one that kept us together... he still is..."

"It's alright, Michael." Faith whispered, softly but confidently, as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"He's going to hate me for that."

"No, I'm sure he won't. He told me, remember? Said it wasn't your fault." she reassured him. "Come on. Let's go upstairs and see how the surgery's going."

As they were walking through the hallway, they spotted Lieutenant Swersky getting off the elevator. "Faith, what's going on?" he asked as he came closer. "I came to check on Boscorelli, and the nurse told me about some kind of emergency..."

"Yes, sir, he... they had to take him back to surgery." she replied, trying not to let her emotions rule her as flashes of her partner's frightened face came to her mind. She could still see him gasping for breath in the room a few minutes before.

"Why, what happened?" he asked again.

"Well, sir, he regained consciousness and was extremely disoriented. I... I think he didn't know where he was at first, or that he'd been shot. So he tried to sit up and tore his sutures." She paused, catching a breath, then continued. "He had no idea he was bleeding internally, and I didn't know anything was wrong until he started coughing up blood."

"God." the older man sighed. "Keep me posted, okay? I want you to call me the minute he comes out of surgery."

"Yes, sir. I will." she promised as they started to leave.

"Faith?" the Lieutenant called again. She stopped and looked at him. "How are you holding up?"

"I... I'm fine, sir. I just need to know he's going to be okay." she whispered.

He nodded his head. "Please tell your mother to call me if she needs anything." he said, looking at Mikey.

"I will. Thanks."

TBC...


	8. Chapter eight

**Chapter eight**

Author's note: Hey, glad you're still with me on this one! ;) I should warn you though, *nice* Fred ahead... I know, I know some of you you hate him, and I do too believe me, but I wanted this story to be realistic and that's how the man appears to be after his heart attack. 

***

Faith woke up to the sound of someone calling her name. She opened her eyes and saw Sully's concerned face. 

"Hey."

"Hey. I must've dozed off."

"You look like hell." he stated, handing her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks. For the coffee and the compliment." she tried to smile. "Where's Michael?"

"He took his mother down to the cafeteria. They'll be here soon."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"2:30am. You should get some real sleep, Faith."

"I will. As soon as the doctor tells me that Bosco's going to be fine."

Sully sat down next to her and rested his head on the wall behind him.

"So, how's work?" Faith asked, not really interested, but trying to keep her mind off Bosco on the operating table.

"Just the usual crap." he shrugged.

Suddenly they heard a door creak open and saw Bosco being wheeled back into the ICU. Faith immediately stood up and ran to his side, taking his cold hand in hers. "How is he?" she asked wearily.

"Well, we were able to re-suture his wound and control the bleeding." the doctor said as he took the surgical cap from his head. "We caught it in time. A few more minutes and he would have bled out. Now we're going to keep him sedated for the next 12 hours to give his body some time to heal. He won't survive another surgery if it happens again. His body just can't take any more."

"Thanks for getting him through this. Both times."

The doctor smiled. "You won't be able to see him for a while, so I'd suggest you two go home and get some rest. You can come back tomorrow."

Faith hesitated. "Okay, but..."

"Yeah, I promise. I'll call you if something happens."

"Thank you." she whispered, as she reluctantly let go of Bosco's hand and stepped aside to let them by.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Sully said as he led her away.

***

Fred Yokas glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 4:05am. He reached out his hand searching for his wife, but the right side of his bed was empty. He yawned and slowly got up, then made his way to the living room.

Faith was standing near the table, a mug in her hand, staring out the window. 

"Baby, what's wrong?" he softly asked.

"Fred?" she jumped, startled by his voice. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't sleep. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's okay." he said as he came closer and put his arms around her waist. "I told you, I slept enough in the hospital for two lifetimes." He carefully took the mug from her hands and put it on the table. "Is Bosco alright?"

"I guess so." she sighed. "No news is good news."

"Good." he replied, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Fred, it's my fault."

"No Faith, it's not. Please don't do this to yourself. There's no way you could have prevented this." He rubbed her back as she started to cry. "You can't back him up 24/7."

"I called him useless." she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "Immature and unreliable. I told him he's never been there for me..."

Fred stared at her, obviously surprised by what he'd just heard. He didn't know what to say. "Faith, I..."

"And he believed me. He was standing there and I could tell he believed he deserved every word! I knew I was hurting him, but I was too scared and... oh God Fred, what if he dies before I have a chance to apologize? How could I live with that?"

"Honey, I'm sure he'll be okay." he reassured her. "And I'm sure he already forgave you for that. God will guide him back." He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "Come on, let's go back to bed. The kids will be up in two hours."

"I love you, Fred." she whispered.

"I love you too."

***

Rose Boscorelli stood at the counter of her empty bar, a beer in her hand. It was four a.m., but she couldn't bring herself to leave the place.

She looked at her youngest son. He was sitting not too far from her, staring at the empty bottle on the table in front of him. "You wanna tell me what happened, Michael?" she asked.

"How much more do you need to know?" he absently replied. "I screwed up. Again. Only this time, my brother's paying for it."

Rose came closer and sat down next to him. She'd never been a strong woman. At least not strong enough to face her husband or keep her family together. But as she thought about her eldest son lying in that hospital bed she realized it was time to put her fears aside and do something.

She put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you guys." she apologized. "Maybe if I'd paid enough attention to you growing up, you wouldn't have had to use drugs to forget your messed up life and Maurice wouldn't be in the hospital."

"You're not the one to blame, mom." he replied, still not looking at her. "You were a victim, just like we were. You've suffered enough. This isn't your fault. I guess I was... I'm just not man enough to face my problems without taking drugs."

"My poor baby..." she cried as she pulled him into a hug. "I'm your mother, I should've realized something was wrong. But I was too busy drinking myself into a stupor to notice. Will you ever forgive me?"

"He was there because of me." Mickey finally admitted, looking straight into his mother's eyes. "Because I asked him to. He could've told me to take a hike. But instead he gave me his money and met me down at the pier. I mean, he's a cop. He knew it could be dangerous, but he came anyway. How do I tell my brother how much that means to me? How?" he asked, tears sparkling in his eyes again.

"He knows." Rose whispered, still hugging her son. "We have to be strong now. He's got to know that his family's there for him. This way he can come back to us." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and stood up. "Come on, let's go get some sleep before we visit him in the hospital."

TBC...


	9. Chapter nine

**Chapter nine**

Author's note: Thanks for all the great feedback guys, I love to read what you write! :) What I like the most is that you think it's realistic, 'cause that's exactly what I wanted. So here's another one, enjoy!

***

Faith heard light footsteps running in the bedroom. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around. "Emily?"

"Oh, I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to get dad his blanket."

"No, it's okay, honey. What time is it?"

"7:30."

"Already? Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, running a hand through her hair and pulling back the covers. "Come on, I'll fix some breakfast for you guys."

"Dad told us not to wake you. Don't worry, I already made breakfast." she said, picking up the blanket and heading out the room.

Faith got up and put her robe on. She walked into the living room and spotted Fred watching tv on the couch.

"Sorry." he apologized. "I told them to be quiet. Thought you needed some rest."

"It's okay." she shrugged. "I don't think I would've slept much longer anyway. I need to go back to the hospital."

"Yeah, I know."

She went to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Great. I think I should go back to work."

She took a sip of her coffee. "When's your next appointment?"

"Next week."

"Well, we'll see about that, okay? I don't want you to rush things." She was about to set her mug down into the sink when the phone rang. "I'll get it." she said, turning around. "Hello?"

"Officer Yokas?"

"Yes, who is it?"

"Mary Proctor from Mercy."

Faith felt her chest tighten and closed her eyes. "What happened?"

Fred noticed the hesitation in his wife's voice and rose from the couch, moving toward her.

"Your partner's awake and asking for you."

_Awake_, she thought to herself. _Awake means alive. Safe_. "Thanks, Mary. I... I'll be right there." She hung up the phone and leaned back against the counter, exhaling slowly.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Fred asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

"Bosco, he... he's awake." she smiled. "I have to go."

***

Faith stepped off the elevator, her heart beating faster and faster as she approached Bosco's room. A million thoughts crossed her minds: words of apology, of sorrow, pleas of forgiveness, but they were all gone the minute she opened the door and let herself in.

She could still hear the beeping sound of the heart monitor, but it didn't scare her this time. Bosco looked a lot better, the color slowly returning to his face, and there were only an IV and a few wires connected to him.

Faith took a few steps forward and sat down next to him, in the same chair she'd been sitting so many times over the last few days. Then she reached up and gently touched the side of his face. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Boz." she whispered, taking in a deep breath.

She watched him sleep for a few moments, then closed her eyes and tried to convince herself that he was really going to be okay. _Maybe there's really someone up there listening to our prayers_, she thought to herself. _Here's my second chance, and I'm not going to waste it now. I'm sorry, Bosco, and now I'll finally be able to tell you._

"Hey." said a quiet voice, as if he'd read her mind. A voice that Faith immediately recognized and that brought tears to her eyes. A voice she'd longed to hear for a long time.

She smiled and took his hand. "Hey partner, welcome back."

Bosco looked around, his eyes wandering from the machines surrounding him to the white ceiling above him. _Hospital_, he sighed._ Again._

"How do you feel?"

"Sore."

"I know, it's okay." she said, trying to reassure him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You just lay still and everything's gonna be alright. The doctor said you should make a complete recovery."

"What happened?" he asked in a whisper.

Faith smiled again. "You want the whole story or the short version?"

"Can't remember... much." he wearily said, momentarily closing his eyes.

"Well, you've been shot and gave us quite a scare, Bosco. Then you woke up and did something stupid." she said as he stared at her in confusion. "You tried to get up, and tore your sutures, so they had to bring you back to surgery to fix the damage." she frowned, lowering her gaze. "That was yesterday. You've been unconscious since they moved you here."

"Ma was here." Bosco said, trying to move. "But... she didn't tell me."

Faith shrugged. "I guess she didn't want to upset you. She was pretty scared, you know, thought she lost you for good this time."

He immediately thought about the fire at the supermarket a few weeks before, about his mother's frightened words. '_Don't you die before me_.'

"Must be mad at me." he said, forcing a faint smile.

Faith looked at him. "I'm sure she's not, that wasn't your fault." _Don't know about Mikey though_, she added to herself. Her gaze drifted over to the door for a moment, then focused on him again. "Bosco, I thought I lost you too." she admitted, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

He squeezed her hand. "I guess I was... lucky. Those guys really wanted to kill me. Thought I was... some kind of dope dealer." he said, seeing the scene unfold in his mind. "I didn't even have time to..."

"Bosco, I thought I lost you." she repeated, swallowing hard. "...I was afraid. Afraid that you would die before I had a chance to apologize..."

"I... don't know what you're talking about." he lied.

Faith jerked her head up and stared at him in disbelief. "You don't really believe that, do you?" she asked, shaking her head, shocked by his words. "I know I hurt you, and I know things haven't been the same since... but... I miss you" she whispered " and I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for saying those words. You are not useless, you proved that being there for your brother. They would've probably killed him if it wasn't for you."

"I guess that wasn't a very smart move..." he sighed, his voice pained as he relived the moment in his head.

"That's not what I'm saying, and you know that." Faith remarked, meeting his gaze. "Those words, I..."

"What hurt weren't the words, Faith, my father used to call me that almost every day." He took a deep breath and continued. "What hurt was that I heard them from you. I... I couldn't believe it. I was... mad at first, but then I realized you just needed to blow up and..."

"God, Bosco, please forgive me..." she said as she bowed her head at her partner's words and her eyes started to tear up. "I had no right to take it out on you. I... I just want things to go back to the way they were..."

"So you're not sick of me." he whispered.

Faith closed her eyes. _He remembers every damn word. _"Of course not!"

She tried to smile but couldn't quite manage to. "Bosco, I can't even imagine you not working by my side. I know this has affected our friendship, but... I need my partner back, and I promise I'm going to do everything I can to regain your trust and rebuild our partnership."

Bosco lifted his arm and carefully brushed away her tears with his thumb, nodding his head. "We're gonna be okay." He gave her another faint smile before closing his eyes and taking a breath, then slowly let it back out.

"Are you okay?" she immediately asked, alarm in her voice as she sat forward in her chair.

"Just... tired."

"Okay, I'll let you sleep now, you need to rest. I'm going to let everyone know that you're awake and talking. I'll be back in a few hours." She pushed her chair backward and stood up.

"We're gonna be okay..." he repeated as he drifted off to sleep.

"Yeah." Faith whispered as she gave his hand a squeeze and headed out the door, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

TBC...


	10. Chapter ten

**Chapter ten**

Author's note: Okay, just a few more chapter guys, this story is almost over. Hope you're still liking it, 'cause I sure had a GREAT time writing it! :)

***

Faith got out of the room and reached out to steady herself on the closed door. She felt a release, as though he had severed the invisible chains that had held her captive.

"So, uhm... how is he?" Mikey asked her as he spotted her coming out into the hallway.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Good I think, considering what he's been through. He's sleeping now."

"I... I'm not sure he wants to see me."

"Look Michael, I don't know if this is the right time, but I really think you should talk to him." she suggested. "Go in, let him know you're here."

His frown deepened at her words. "You leaving?"

"No, I think I'm going to hang around here a little more." She started to walk down the hallway. "If anyone needs me, I'll be down in the cafeteria."

***

Mikey put his hand on the doorknob and nervously looked around before turning it and entering the room. He stood there for a few moments, taking in the sight of his injured brother. _Man, how could she say he looked better?_ he thought to himself.

He moved toward him slowly, then hesitated, not sure what to do. "Maurice man, I'm sorry." he said under his breath as he looked away.

His heart was telling him to go on, to tell him everything he had bottled up inside, but an irrational fear was blocking his mind. He glanced around the room. It was still pretty dark, even though it was morning already, so he turned on the small overhead light. "There you go, bro." he said, casting a glance back to his face. "Feels better, huh?"

Bosco didn't move, nor did he appear to acknowledge his brother's presence.

Mikey reached out his hand to touch him, but stopped it in mid-air. _God, how's that for pathetic_, he said to himself. _I can't even face him when he's asleep. _"I can't do this." he whispered. He brought his hand up and ran it through his hair. "You know, no matter what I say to you, what I try to do... it won't get better." he sighed, his voice quiet as he kept staring at him.

The guilt was overwhelming, and he found himself unable to breathe, wishing he could take back the last few days of his sorry life. "I... I just hope you can forgive me someday." he said as he ran out of the room and shut the door behind him.

***

Bosco slept through the night and most of the following day. News of him being out of the woods spread across the precinct and the firehouse, and a lot of friends stopped by. Some of them just for a few minutes, to say a quick hello or welcome him back, others took turns and kept him company when Faith had to leave to go back to her family.

When the clock on the wall in front of him read 6pm, he realized one person still hadn't shown up. Michael. 

The doctor had just come in to check on him and he was about to drift off to sleep again when he heard the door open. "Oh come on, not another shot!" he complained, thinking it was one of the nurses. 

"What, big cop's afraid of needles?" 

Bosco immediately turned his head, and to his surprise found himself looking at his brother, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jean jacket, a half smile on his face. 

"You try staying here for a few days!" he remarked. "I think they hate me." 

"I bet man. This is the ICU, it's supposed to be quiet in here." 

He took a few steps forward. "You... do seem to have a way with the nurses though, they've been all over you. And then all the visits... half the precinct's been around here lately. Guys from the fire house, paramedics... you sure gave the other patients a reason to wake up." 

"I'm a popular guy." he joked, trying to lighten the mood. "So, how are you Michael?" he said as he reached for the button and lifted up his bed a little, still holding his gaze on his brother. 

_Great Michael, why don't you tell him the truth? Oh, been feeling like shit for the last few days, you know, thought I'd killed my own brother. _"I... I was worried about you." he finally managed to say. "Look Mo, I'm sorry about..." 

Bosco motioned for him to get closer. He knew that his brother blamed himself, and there were no words he could say to convince him that it wasn't his fault. 

"I... I told them it was a mistake, that you were my brother, but they wouldn't believe me." 

"What's your business with those guys?" 

Mikey lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact. "Then they... they laughed at me, said I should take that as a warning." 

"Did you give'em the money?" he asked, leaning his head back on the pillow. 

He hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I told them to take the money, so... you know, they could leave you alone. But they said someone else was taking care of you... So I ran..." he sat down on the chair and rested his head between his hands. "I was scared. But that... that's not gonna happen again." 

Bosco gave his arm a light squeeze. "I know." 

"No, I... I just wanna tell you that I'm gonna make sure they..." 

Bosco's head instantly shot up and he looked at Mikey. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing." 

"Mikey, you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" he asked, disbelief in his voice. "You know, like going after those guys or something." 

"No, I..." 

"Michael, I'm serious. They'll kill you without a second thought." 

"Don't worry about it, man, okay? You just get yourself better." he said, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. Guilt was still flooding through him. "I'm sorry for all the shit I've put you through..." he whispered, his voice cracking as tears threatened to fall. 

"Not your fault." Bosco said firmly. "Just don't think you can handle this on your own. I felt... bad for weeks after I arrested you that night," he continued with a shaky breath, "don't make me be the one to identify your dead body..." 

_It's okay, bro._ Mikey thought to himself. _Just my turn to step up and show you that I care. You've always been there for me, and even though I pushed you away most of the times, you didn't back down. _

"I... have to go now." he said as he rose to his feet.

Bosco tried to fight the sleep that threatened to overcome him. "You better not do it, man." he told him, a hint of fear in his voice. He tried to sit up, but immediately regretted it as pain shot through his wounded abdomen. "Dammit!" he cursed. 

Mikey listened as the heart monitor increased its beeping and quickly turned back to his brother. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, Mo!" he urged as he helped him lay back down on the bed. "I told you, it's okay. ... " 

Bosco grabbed his hand and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Be careful." 

"Sure." he shrugged, and within moments he was out the door, leaving Bosco with an uneasy feeling and the knowledge that Mikey was up to something. 

"God, I hate this!" he sighed in frustration. He reached for the call button and waited for the nurse to get in the room. 

"Officer Boscorelli, is something wrong?" 

"I need to use the phone." he told her. "Now." 

A quick look at her patient, and the woman realized that it wasn't open for debate. "I'll be right back." 

A few minutes later, he was dialing a familiar number. "Faith?" 

"Bosco, is that you?" she asked, alarm in her voice. Of all people, her partner was the last one she'd expected when she'd picked up the phone. "What happened, are you okay?" _And why are you calling from ICU? _

"Yeah, I... I need help." he whispered.

"I'm on my way." she reassured him. "Just hold on." 

"No, it's not... me. It's Mikey." 

_God, what else, now?_ She wondered. She knew that Bosco blamed himself for the way his brother had turned out, and if he was calling from the hospital then something was wrong. Very wrong. 

"What about Mikey?" 

"He... I'm worried about him." 

"Why?" 

"Well, he came here and... I don't know Faith, there was something in his voice. The... the things he said... I think he's going after the guys who shot me." 

"He what?" she asked, surprised. 

"Listen, I know I have no right to ask you this, but... I'm stuck in here and... I didn't know who else to call." he admitted. 

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" 

"I just want you to get to him before he does something stupid." 

Faith could hear the strain in her partner's voice and tried to reassure him. 

"Bosco, you don't know for sure. Mikey's been in trouble before, and... he never asked for help." _Must be some Boscorelli thing, _she reasoned_._ "Maybe he's just upset because of what happened to you." 

"I know he's had troubles, but... I can't give up on him. He's my brother, Faith. I can't lose him." There was a moment of silence, as if he were thinking about something else to say that could convince her. "Just help me with this, will ya?" 

"Officer Boscorelli, you really need to rest now." Faith was shaken from her thoughts by the nurse's voice. 

"Yeah, I... I'm almost done." he wearily replied. 

_That's it_, Faith thought to herself, _I give up._ "Alright, Bosco. I'll give it a try." she sighed. "You go back to sleep and I will talk to you later." 

"Thanks." he said, relief washing over him. "I mean it." 

"No problem." 

"Oh, and Faith?" 

"Yes?" 

"Be safe out there." 

"Absolutely." she smiled. "See you later, Boz." 

TBC...


	11. Chapter eleven

**Chapter eleven**

Author's note: Well, almost done, hope you're still enjoying this, and thank you SO much for your wonderful reviews! :)

***

Faith pulled into the lot and parked her car. "Damn, it's freezing out here!" she realized as she got out and headed for Rose's bar. She didn't know where to start looking for Mikey, but she figured his mother was probably at work and could help. She opened the door and gratefully stepped into the warm place, looking for Bosco's mom.

The bar wasn't really crowded, and she easily spotted Rose behind the counter, filling a glass of liquor for one of her customers. She unbuttoned her coat and walked toward her, waving her hand at the woman. "Hey Rose!"

"Faith honey, how are you?" she asked, lighting a cigarette.

"I'm good. You're back to work." she smiled as she sat on a stool.

"Yeah, now that Maurice is feeling better I thought it was time to get my life back. I wouldn't have survived another day in the ICU."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Faith whispered.

"So, how can I help you?" Rose asked. "Something tells me you didn't come here for a drink."

"Well, actually I'm looking for Michael." she offered. "Do you know where he is?"

Rose immediately tensed at her son's name. "Why? Is he in trouble?"

"No, he's not."

She nervously moved the cigarette in her hand. "He... he told me what happened when Maurice got shot, said he wasn't there when..."

"Rose, it's okay." she said, squeezing her hand. "I just want to talk to him. I'm not here as a police officer.

"He's over there." she replied, pointing to a dark corner of the bar.

Faith stood up and picked up her coat. "Thanks."

Mikey was sitting in a booth, head down, his back to Faith, trying to drink himself unconscious so he didn't have to see the image of his brother lying in a pool of blood anymore. She stared at him, then crossed the room and sat down in front of him at the table.

"Hey." she called.

He shivered, startled by her voice. "What?"

"How are you holding up?"

He just shook his head. "You came here to check on me?"

"You think I should?"

"I'm not Maurice, so stop mothering me, okay?"

_Here we go_, Faith sighed, _another Boscorelli but the same attitude. God, why do I even bother?_

"Listen," she started "your brother called me. Said he's worried that you're gonna get yourself into trouble."

Mikey froze, the color draining from his face. _How the hell does he know? Great Michael, now what? _"I don't know what you're talking about." he shrugged, his gaze falling down to his beer.

Faith ran a hand through her hair. "You're never gonna grow up, are you?" she asked, trying to keep her anger in check. "You think you can go after those guys all by yourself? Wake up Michael, you're gonna end up dead before you even realize it!" she said, raising her voice, but not loud enough to be heard by the other customers in the bar.

"Look Faith, I appreciate you coming all the way down here, okay? I really do. But please stop it! There's nothing to worry about. Maurice, he's just... over-reacting."

He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Truth was, he was glad that his brother still cared about him, and he really wanted to do the right thing. Only in his mind, the right thing now was getting some kind of revenge on the men who'd hurt him.

"Over-reacting?" Faith repeated in disbelief. "Yeah, maybe because he took a bullet that was meant for YOU!" she snapped. 

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Mikey said in angry defeat. "Tell him I'm gonna be okay."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." she whispered.

"Look, I gotta go. I'll stop by and see him at the hospital later." He got up, turned around and walked out of the bar.

"Michael, wait!" she called as she rushed to the door and hurried after him, making him stop and turn to her. "Where do you think you're going? For Christ's sake, stop before you end up doing something you'll regret later!" Faith insisted.

_Man, why does she have to be so damn stubborn?_ he thought to himself. "Leave me alone! Where I go is none of your damned business!"

Faith grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. "What am I gonna tell your mother? Do you think she could handle losing you after what happened to Bosco?"

Mikey immediately lowered his gaze.

"I know you're angry right now, but this is stupid, and it's not gonna help your brother."

"What do you want me to tell you, huh?" he said, shaking his head in frustration. "That I wish those guys were dead? I do! All the time! I'm so angry I want to kill them, Faith! Make them suffer... Maurice is a good guy, he didn't deserve any of this..." his voice trailed off and a sob escaped his lips.

"I know." she replied, a hand on his shoulder. "But there are better ways. Safer ways. You tell me who these guys are and we're gonna bring them to justice."

"Justice..." he smiled. "Justice is not enough."

"Let me help, Mikey. We can work this out. Together."

"Whatever."

Faith pointed to her car that was parked nearby and motioned with her hand to him to get in. Then climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door, putting the car into drive and pulling out onto the road.

***

"Yokas, didn't you take the week off?" Lieutenant Swersky asked as he spotted her walking up to the front desk of the 5-5, Mikey following close behind.

"Oh Lieu, yeah, it's just that... You remember Bosco's brother, right?"

"Of course. How are you, son?" he said, shaking his hand.

"He uhm... may have information about some drug dealers." Faith spoke again.

The man raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, he thinks they may be involved in the shooting."

"Good. Why don't you take him to my office? This way you can talk without anyone bothering you and then fill me in."

"Sure. Thanks Lieu."

TBC...


	12. Chapter twelve

**Chapter twelve**

Author's note: Okay guys, here we go, this is the last one. I'm not sure this is what I wanted, and I'm not even sure it's good (though I left it kind of open, and any suggestion is greatly appreciated) but hey, here's what happens when english is not your first language, you just don't know how to write what you want to... :) 

I want to take a second to thank you all for the great feedback on this story, you really are the best! I don't know when you're going to hear from me again, but I promise as soon as I have a new idea I'll start writing. 

***

Lieutenant Swersky was called back to his office about half and hour later. On his desk, he found a statement signed by Michael Boscorelli with dates, names and information about Bruce De Marco and a few other dealers the young man had apparently been in contact with.

He sat in his chair and glanced over at Faith, noticing the exhausted look on both her and Mikey's face.

"Boss," Faith started "I think we have enough on these men to put them away for a long time."

He nodded his head. "I'm glad you decided to help, son." he said, turning to Mikey. "Assaulting a police officer is a serious crime, not to mention drug dealing. But thanks to you we're going to make sure they won't hurt anyone else now." he smiled, still not knowing about his *real* involvement in the situation.

"De Marco's not within our jurisdiction, but I'll make a few phone calls and arrange a meeting so we can figure things out and get these bastards off the street." he continued. "Yokas, I'll probably need you to stay a little while."

"No problem, Lieu." she replied. "I'd like to help."

"Good. Any chance they can go after him? Realize he was the one?"

Faith frowned. "Oh, yes sir. I think he might be in danger."

Swersky nodded again. "Okay then, we'll place him under protective custody. I'll also have someone outside Boscorelli's room at the hospital."

Mikey immediately rose from his chair. "Hey, I wanna be there! You need me to set them up!"

"Don't worry, Michael. We're gonna have a warrant so there's no need to set them up. Our guys will bring them in as soon as the meeting is over."

The old man leaned back in his chair, still making eye contact with him. "I'll have someone drive you someplace safe for at least the next 24 hours, and then you'll probably have to give another statement and testify at the hearing when the time comes. That's all."

Mikey tried to say something, anything to make them understand that he didn't care about his own life as long as his brother was safe and De Marco and his men paid for what they'd done. "Wait, I..." he tried, his gaze dropping to his hands.

Faith sensed that there was more that he wanted to say and stepped in. "Lieu, why don't we drop him at the hospital on our way to De Marco's location." she suggested. "He's gonna be safe in there."

Swersky thought about it for a second. "Yeah, you're probably right. Wait here, son. We'll be back."

Faith shoved her chair back and rose to her feet. "Everything's gonna be okay, Mikey." she reassured him as she followed her superior out of the office.

Mikey closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. _Hope this is the right thing to do_, he sighed.

***

The ride to the hospital was silent, and soon Mikey found himself back at Angel of Mercy. Faith had requested to join the team and was riding in the passenger side of the RMP, even though Swersky had made it clear that she was only there as a witness and should not be involved in the arrest.

She wanted to check on Bosco, but the other units were already waiting for them, so the car pulled back out into the traffic as soon as the officer assigned to Mikey and Bosco showed up.

Mikey led the way as they stepped into the elevator and headed for Bosco's room. He opened the door and stared in horror at the empty bed in front of him. "What the hell?" he said as he quickly turned around and walked toward the nurse's station.

"Boscorelli... Maurice Boscorelli, where is he?" he asked in a shaky voice, fear trembling through his body.

A young nurse looked up from her chart, obviously startled. "We moved him into a private room an hour ago." she replied. "Third door to the right."

"Thanks." Mikey muttered as he rushed to the room and threw the door open, causing Bosco to wake up.

He opened his eyes, squinting against the soft light that flickered into the room, and noticed the panicked expression on his brother's face. "Mikey? What happened?"

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief. "Nothing. You just scared the crap out of me, man."

"You okay?"

"I am now."

"Who's the guy?" Bosco asked, nodding towards the officer that was standing a few feet behind.

"He... he's here to keep an eye on us." he half-smiled.

"Why?" he insisted, giving Mikey a questioning look.

"Oh you know, nothing to worry about, man. Just routine."

Bosco looked at the young cop again. "Would you... excuse us for a moment?"

"Sure. I'll be right outside." he said as he left the room.

"Mikey, what's going on?" he asked, trying to sit up. "Why is there a guard outside my door?"

Mikey looked at him, unable to answer at first. "Well, Faith came to see me, you know," he started, shifting his gaze to the wall in front of him. "Helped me figure out what to do. It was... hard at first, but she was right."

Bosco smiled at the thought of his partner having to deal with his brother other than himself. _Thanks, Faith. _He said to himself._ Thanks for keeping him out of trouble._

"She's a great woman, you know..." Mikey added, a smile stretching across his face.

"Yeah, I know." he whispered.

"So we... she took me to the precinct, and I told them everything I knew."

Bosco's eyes widened.

"They said they were gonna bring them in." he continued as he sat down on the chair. "It's over, man. They're gonna pay for it."

"Mikey, I..." Bosco wasn't sure how to respond to that. "You okay with that? I mean, they could come after you..."

He shrugged off his concern. "I know. That's why that cop is standing outside your door."

Bosco still couldn't believe it. _Is this really my brother?_ He wondered as he stared at him. _I guess they really put a good scare into him this time._

"I... I'm sorry I'm such a loser, Mo." Mikey said under his breath as he looked away, the tension of the previous days starting to be felt again.

"Oh come on, it's not like I'm perfect either." he replied, trying to lighten the mood. "You know I'm not good at this sort of thing, but... this really means a lot to me, bro."

"I'm... glad that that you didn't turn your back on me like I feared you would. I was scared you'd hate me.." he admitted, lowering his gaze.

"I'm your brother, man. It takes more than a bullet to get me out of your life! ...I'm proud of you." he finally whispered.

Mikey leaned his head forward and rested it between his hands. "Geez, our old man would love this..."

"Yeah, no kidding." Bosco smiled as he reached out his hand and stroked his brother's hair.

Mikey wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and straightened himself back. "So, you up to watching some tv?"

"Sure. I missed the latest sports results."

***

A few hours flew by, but the scene in the small hospital room remained the same. The two brothers were still enjoying each other's company. Two people that had walked different roads in life, but who'd now realized they belonged together.

"It feels good, you know, being together." Bosco said as he looked over at his brother. "I missed it."

"Yeah, me too." Mikey smiled, leaning on the bed rail. "Now what?"

"Well, I guess we just take it one day at the time and go from there." he answered back. "And if you ever need someone to turn to I'm your man, alright?"

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

At that moment, the door of the room opened and Faith stepped in.

"Hey," she smiled as she approached Bosco's bed. "I came to see if you needed some company, but I see you're all set." she joked.

"Yeah well, what can I say? Little brother here decided I was worth his time." He shrugged, glancing sideways at Mikey who nodded his head at Faith.

"How're you doing, Boz?" she asked, lightly touching his arm.

"I'm fine. Doctor said the wound's healing nicely."

"Good. Look, I'm sorry I couldn't come here sooner..."

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to baby-sit me, Faith. They're taking good care of me."

"Yeah," she chuckled. "So I heard."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked in his best 'hurt' look.

"Nothing. You do look tired though."

She walked closer and put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. He'd been expectantly looking at her since she'd entered the room, desperately wanting to know about the arrest. _Please, Faith. Say something. I need to know. _

As if he'd read his mind, Bosco glanced at the uniformed cop still standing outside his open door and thought back about his conversation with Mikey.

"Faith, what happened out there?" he asked, his tone dead serious.

"Oh, we... we locked them up. All of them. De Marco put up one hell of a fight, but we brought him down anyway." she said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Jackson, from the 35th was shot in the leg, but other than that it went all pretty smoothly. Thanks to you, Mikey." she added, squeezing his hand. "You did good."

"You... think so?" he whispered.

"Absolutely. Lieu said he's trying to work out a deal to keep you out of jail for cooperating. The DA's hopefully going to be okay with that as long as you promise to check yourself into a rehab program."

"Thanks, Faith." he said, with an apologetic look in his eyes. "Thanks for helping me realize I could do something good with my life." 

"Glad I could actually help." she smiled. "You know Boz, maybe I picked the wrong brother. Mikey would've been a good partner after all..." she laughed, winking at Mikey.

"What? Hey, that hurt!" he exclaimed as he put a hand on his stomach and tried not to laugh.

"Want me to call a nurse, Mo?" Mikey smirked as the sound of their laughter filled the room.

THE END


End file.
